Abstract: | Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- 1 Primary and Secondary Records in Coptic, Syriac, Greek, and Arabic Texts (3rd10th Centuries) -- 2 Primary Records in Parthian and Middle Persian Texts (3rd9th Centuries) -- 3 Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Records in Uygur and Chinese Texts (8th13th Centuries) -- 4 Tertiary Records in Post-Manichaean Arabic, Persian, and Chagatai Texts (11th17th Centuries) -- 5 Format and Preservation -- 6 Subject Repertoire and Iconography -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index. The founder of Manichaeism, Mani (216-274/277 CE), not only wrote down his teachings to prevent their adulteration, but also created a set of paintingsthe Book of Pictures to be used in the context of oral instruction. That pictorial handscroll and its later editions became canonical art for Mani's followers for a millennium afterwards. This richly illustrated study systematically explores the artistic culture of religious instruction of the Manichaeans based on textual and artistic evidence. It discusses the doctrinal themes (soteriology, prophetology, theology, and cosmology) depicted in Manis canonical pictures. Moreover, it identifies 10th-century fragments of canonical picture books, as well as select didactic images adapted to other, non-canonical art objects (murals, hanging scrolls, mortuary banners, and illuminated liturgical manuscripts) in Uygur Central Asia and Tang-Ming China |
